Functional and Sensory Evaluation of Kashar Cheese Enriched with Plant-Based Ingredients

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of incorporating plant-based ingredients—strawberry, walnut, tomato, tahini, and poppy seed on the physicochemical, color, textural, and sensory properties of Kashar cheese. The experimental formulations were assessed for pH, titratable acidity, dry matter content, color parameters (L*, a*, b*), texture profile, and sensory acceptability. The pH of the cheese samples ranged from 5.40 (poppy seed-enriched) to 6.08 (control), while titratable acidity varied between 1.09% (control) and 1.74% (poppy seed). Dry matter content ranged from 54.93% (control) to 64.10% (walnut). Significant color differences were observed among the samples: L* (lightness) values ranged from 45.23 (strawberry) to 70.93 (control), a* (redness) values ranged from 3.38 (poppy seed) to 19.03 (strawberry), and b* (yellowness) values ranged from 13.83 (poppy seed) to 28.70 (control). Texture profile analysis revealed considerable variation: hardness ranged from 10,468.81 N (control) to 34,174.18 N (poppy seed), adhesiveness from -140.20 mJ (control) to -0.63 mJ (tahini), and cohesiveness from 0.22 (strawberry) to 0.87 (control). The highest gumminess (27,613.18 N) and chewiness (26,209.48 N) values were also observed in poppy seed cheese. Sensory evaluation showed that while the control sample achieved the highest overall acceptability score, the poppy seed and strawberry-enriched cheeses demonstrated comparable consumer approval. Conversely, the walnut and tomato variants scored lower, suggesting the need for form optimization. Overall, the results suggest that the selected plant-based ingredients significantly modulate the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of Kashar cheese, offering potential for the development of functionally enriched and consumer-acceptable dairy products.